The U.K. on Wednesday approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, clearing the way for distribution to begin next week. Medical workers and older adults in extended-care homes are expected to be the first in line for the shots, mirroring a plan set out by the CDC on Tuesday for those in the U.S. would receive an approved vaccine first. The White House has been concerned about the pace of approvals from the FDA, summoning Chief Stephen Hahn for a meeting Tuesday.
Here are some of today's biggest developments:
The following data was compiled by Johns Hopkins University:
- Global cases: More than 64.3 million Â
- Global deaths: At least 1.48 million
- U.S. cases: More than 13.86 million
- U.S. deaths: At least 272,552